Livonia Letters to the Editor

Although the care my brother received as a patient at Ashley Court Livonia just a few years ago appeared to be good, I’m thankful all of the patients recently being cared for there are no longer in harm’s way. Most of us probably assume these sort of facilities are occasionally scrutinized. I’m relieved to actually know, at least in this case, our government is doing its No. 1 job, which is to “protect its citizens” as opposed to “running the country like a business.” I’m grateful for this example that, unlike most corporations today, a top priority of our government is to protect human rights.

Until the owners of care health care facilities like Ashley Court become more committed to providing quality care and less concerned about their profit margins and until insurance companies are taken out of the equation, patients will continue to suffer. The common practice of paying dedicated care givers employed by long-term care facilities low wages to perform tasks most of us would never be willing to do must also be stopped.

Just think, when my great-grandparents were being cared for in a nursing facility in the early 1960s, the staff consisted of orderlies carefully supervised by registered nurses who received directions from on-site physicians. Of course, that was also a time when the owners of such facilities received earnings not much higher than the living wages they paid to their top employees and they were able to sleep well at night. Then again, greedy corporate owners who monger unreasonably high profits today seem to have no trouble sleeping at night, either.

It is certain all of the patients who had to leave Ashley Court Livonia and their families and advocates will struggle to find the affordable quality care they deserve. Let’s not only keep all of them in our thoughts. Let’s learn what we can do to help ensure the rights of all patients are protected and what can be done to make certain long-term care facilities provide better care to all those who cannot help themselves. I’m relieved my beloved brother, Gary, was not subject to the recent events at Ashley Court Livonia. May his soul rest in peace forever.

Gail Wodowski

Northville

Plenty of blame

I’m almost at a loss for words to describe my utter disgust at the comedy of errors that occurred at the Ashley Court facility in late May.

Yes, we had several of our city officials give a press conference where they all stood around with stern looks on their faces, but that’s just pure PR pap with no substance. The fact is, the people running Ashley Court should be put up on criminal charges. If a private (citizen) caregiver treated an elderly relative in that manner, the state would stumble over itself to file elder abuse charges.

I also can’t understand why this whole situation wasn’t handled better — what a complete and utter cluster botch-up. The owners of Ashley Court, the patients and their relatives should’ve been given more warning of the violations and the looming possible shutdown.

Since the fire department cited Ashley Court on several occasions, why didn’t they warn them that the place could end up getting shut down? Why didn’t the fire department inform the mayor about this combustible situation?

Even though this whole tawdry incident was a public embarrassment for Livonia, the truth is that this could have happened anywhere in this country when you consider how glibly the elderly are treated by society (especially by the medical community.)

Whether you’re talking about nurses, doctors, hospitals, insurance providers or hospice care, no one really gives a flying hoot about the elderly, but really only view them and their money and insurance as cash cows to be milked and bilked.

Leo Weber

Livonia

Thanks for shutdown

Thank you, thank you, thank you for finally closing down Ashley Court in Livonia (editor’s note: This was originally an email to the state).

You are probably getting a lot of flack about suspending the license of Ashley Court in Livonia. It’s all over the news, seniors being displaced, etc. You absolutely did the right thing! This has needed to happen for so very long! At least 15 years long!

My mother was a resident at this facility back in 1999-2003, when it was called Courtyard of Livonia. It was an excellent facility in 1999-2000, before Rubin Chandok took over.

After Rubin Chandok took over, it became a nightmare. I, myself, back in 2003 wrote complaint after complaint after complaint about the substandard care that was being provided. The state, at that time, agreed with me and issued seven violations.

I could go on and on and on about things that went on at Courtyard Manor back then. I can’t believe it took almost 15 years to close this place, but I am so glad it has finally happened. Yes, I do know that this is a hardship on the residents and families of this facility, but better to go through this transition than to experience a death of a resident due to substandard care and conditions.